Departure Taxes and Departure Cards

by Barrie | May 23rd, 2011   Tweet

One of the facts of life when you travel is that you are guaranteed to pay taxes on departure for any country and Indonesia is no exception. It’s the way the respective governments raise revenue. Travelling inter-island in Indonesia it is noticeable that the taxes vary from island to island. In Bali the departure tax has remained stat for some time.

Every visitor must pay Rp150,000 per person on departure from the island and this includes children. You would be surprised at the number of people I have seen at Ngurah Rai International Airport walking around asking people for money simply because they have spent all their money whilst in Bali and didn’t bother to stow-away the departure tax.

The easiest solution is as soon as you change your first foreign currency in Bali just take out the Rp150,000 and stash it in the safety deposit box of the place you are staying with and completely forget about it. That should be your first priority rather than heading down to the markets or the shops on a shopping spree.

The other important matter to remember is your ‘white’ departure card. DON’T LOSE IT or mislay it. Before your aircraft arrives in Bali you will be given two forms to fill out – a green one which is your Customs declaration and the other, a white two-part Immigration card.

When you go through Immigration and obtained your VOA (Visa on Arrival) you will be returned half of the white form you filled out. This you must present to Immigration on departure. The best thing to do with this card is to keep it in your passport and stowed away in the safety deposit box. The loss of this card will cause you many headaches when you try to get out of the country and could be costly.

Upon Arrival in Bali for First Timers

by Barrie | May 25th, 2011   Tweet

Bali has an infectious way of completely blowing away your senses and especially for first-timers. The whole impact upon one’s senses can be overwhelming when you first arrive on the island. A good idea, once you have cleared customs and immigration at the airport and arrived at your hotel, is to take some time-out to acquaint yourself with the surroundings.

I would endeavour to say that a good majority of travellers to Bali, once they have obtained their hotel room and chucked their bags on the floor, straight away head out onto the streets for a bit of shopping. Take that time-out.

Investigate your hotel, walk around and check out the amenities available and where everything is. After all, this will be the place where you will spend some of your time on your holiday. Your hotel will be the place on your lay-days when you are not out on the road sightseeing up country.

When you eventually do venture out, and no doubt that will be within a few hours, then don’t go buying the first thing you come across. Whatever product you are wishing to purchase it is always best to check out several places and the different prices. Nine times out of ten you will find the products much cheaper in one of the many markets in Kuta/Legain/Seminyak.

Find yourself a good moneychanger and make sure they are registered. You will definitely know this as their exchange rate will be the same as most of the other moneychangers. Any one that has an exorbitantly high rate is guaranteed to rip you off.

Check out the places to eat around the area you are staying. Just about every warung and restaurant has their menu on a board out the front. You will find many places that are just too expensive but you will eventually settle into a few where you will go several times. Definitely try the local cuisine and some of the warungs that specialise in this food.

One other thing to remember is when you are shopping; bargain! It’s a part of the culture and you will eventually find yourself enjoying the magic of bargaining.

The Bali Safari & Marine Park

by Barrie | May 19th, 2011   Tweet

For anyone visiting Bali a must-see that should be on their list is the Bali Safari & Marine Park, just a 45-minute drive from Bali’s International Airport. The park is located on the newly developed ocean highway, Jalan Ida Bagus Mantra and thus assuring visitors an easy and fast access from the main tourist destinations of Kuta, Nusa Dua or Sanur. It is also easily accessed from Ubud.

The Bali Safari and Marine Park gives visitors a fantastic and unique experience with a combination of natural wildlife in an area with a strong Balinese cultural influence. The 40-hectare park provides special safari vehicles to interact with 400 animals from 3 regions including Indonesia, India, and Africa.

Besides the safari journeys throughout the park in from the comfort and safety of an air conditioned safari tram, there is a host of other activities on site sure to please the whole family. These include cultural performances and for the kids a waterpark and other entertainment. In the park there are also restaurants and other food outlets.

The Bali Safari and Marine Park offers tourists and travellers alike a full day of entertainment and a day well spent in Bali. Check out their website for the host of things on offer at the park and for full costs.

Contact: Kuta Office : +62 361 7513000

Website: http://www.balisafarimarinepark.com/

Photo courtesy: blog.baliwww.com

Photo of the Day -Denpasar Museum

by Barrie | May 15th, 2011   Tweet

The museum is located opposite Puputan Square in Denpasar. Set in traditional grounds, adjacent to Pura Jagatnata, a visit to the museum is a relaxing and affordable place. Here you can learn about Balinese history in detail. Split into 4 main buildings, the museum is stocked with artifacts dating back to the megalithic period. The museum dates back to 1910. The structure was in the puri-pura style, meaning like a palace-temple, complete with courtyards, pavilions and decorated temple gateways.

The Main Building contains a stone sarcophagus dating from 600BC-800AD as well as ancient tools used by the early Balinese. There are also weapons used by the Balinese against the Dutch. The Buleleng Pavilion contains examples of Balinese fibre arts, including a loom and various cloth; endek, songket and the famous Geringsing.

The Karangasem Pavilion has among other things examples of the Balinese Wuku calendar, a complex guide for priests to figure out auspicious days for weddings, funerals and other ceremonies. The Tabanan Pavilion has items used in Balinese music and dance, including a Barong costume and 2 massive Barong Landung costumes.

Hari Waisak – Waisak Day

by Barrie | May 16th, 2011   Tweet

Today in Bali and across Indonesia is Waisak Day. This is a Bhuddist holiday to celebrate the anniversary of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Bhuddism. The day commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha. This celebration is enlivened by religious and social activities in Buddhist temples.

In Indonesia, the largest Buddhist temples, Candi Mendut and Candi Borobudur, both located in the Magelang Regency of Central Java not far from Yogyakarta, are the focus of interest and attract those observing the holiday and tourists.

Three major historical events are celebrated on Waisak. The first is the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. The second is the acceptance of the divine revelation under the Bodhi tree. And the third is the journey of Siddhartha Gautama to heaven.

These three big events occur exactly on the Full Moon Purnama Sidhi. Thus, Waisak is also very well known as Tri Suci Waisak or Three Holy Events. Buddhists celebrate Waisak by praying to their God Sang Tri Ratna as thanks giving for creating and maintaining the earth and its resources in harmony. It is very common for Buddhists to celebrate Waisak with the presentation of fruit, flowers and candles. For Buddhists, candles symbolize their philosophy of life, the sought-after enlightenment.

Bali’s Reefs Being Restored

by Barrie | May 12th, 2011   Tweet

As most of you know, coral reefs form large sections of the Bali coastline. These coral reefs are important for the marine habitat, providing shelter for marine life, protecting the coast against erosion and as a breeding ground for fish.

Bali’s coral reefs contain a diverse selection of marine life. Statistics show that in 2007 over 80% of the coral reefs in Bali were damaged in some way, some almost destroyed. The situation has gradually worsened and by the mid 1990’s development took its toll on the reefs.

Serangan Island has been destroyed by beach reclamations work done at the location in 1996; the building of the causeway connecting the mainland to the island did almost irreparable damage to the biodiversity of the reefs. However, the fishing community in the area are working hard to restore 5 hectares of coral surrounding Serangan Island.

Serangan Island is home to one of the most sacred temples on Bali – Pura Sakenan. But it is the coral reefs that are of importance and one can only hope that in the not too distant future the reefs will return to normal. If you are unaware, coral reefs and the tiny polyps are extremely sensitive to their environment, small changes in ocean temperatures, salinity and other factors. Slight changes in the amount dissolved particles from human waste can seriously threaten a coral reef.

Villas and Hotels in Ubud

by Barrie | May 5th, 2011   Tweet

If you drive for about an hour and a half north-east of Kuta you will find the bohemian cultural centre of Bali, Ubud. Famed for its arts, Ubud is a cool area of Bali and home to many expats. Located in the district of Gianyar, the town of Ubud is central and surrounded by a group of villages: Padang Tegal and Nyuhkuning are to the south, Peliatan and Kutuh are to the east, Campuhan, Penestenan and Sayan are to the west and Sanggingan and Kedewatan are to the north-west.

Ubud is peaceful. It is a place where you could spend your entire holiday in Bali and it is also a great place to base yourself for exploring the rest of the island. There are many levels of accommodation in Ubud ranging from losmens to upmarket luxury resorts and villas, in fact, too many to list here and so here is a selection:

Kupu Kupu Barong Villas
Komaneka at Bisma
Pita Maha Resort & Spa
Uma Ubud
Maya Ubud Resort & Spa
Kamandalu Resort
Alila Ubud
Komaneka at Monkey Forest Road
Bali Spirit Hotel & Spa
Champlung Sari Hotel
Hotel Tjampuhan & Spa
Ubud Village Hotel
Villa Chempaka Ubud
Pertiwi Resort & Spa
Ananda Cottages
Sri Ratih Cottages
Ubud Hanging Gardens Resort
Alam Indah

Photo of the Day – Tulamben

by Barrie | May 7th, 2011   Tweet

The landscape around Tulamben and a large portion of the east coast is dry and boulder strew. The rice belt ends and the corn-belt begins further to the south-west and there is not much going on heading up the coast. In Tulamben there are several losmens, a few places to eat and, plenty of dive shops.

Tulamben is probably the most popular site for dive tourists along the south-east coast road. Famous for the sunken wreck of the USS Liberty, Tulamben doesn’t offer much to anyone not interested in diving or snorkelling, but, it does have some delightful beaches graced with fishing boats and friendly locals. The whole ocean area around Tulamben is actually a Marine Reserve and thus protected. From Tulamben the coastal road tends to leave the coast and goes slightly inland until you arrive at a place called Culik where you turn left and return to the coast at Amed.

Bali Marine Walk

by Barrie | May 11th, 2011   Tweet

Not so long ago I wrote about the Seawalker located in Sanur and how it is a fabulous opportunity for those of you who don’t or do not like the idea of scuba diving. It is a unique diving system, fully escorted as you walk down deep into the ocean. It’s brilliant, although I have yet to do this adventure of walking on the bottom of the ocean rather than swimming in it.

Now there is a new player in Bali doing the exact same thing except that it is located on Lembongan Island. They are the Bali Marine Walk. I actually spoke to a few of these guys at a recent travel expo in Perth. As they explained to me, the tourists remain underwater for fifteen minutes and the time was determined as the safest length of time for guests who have never been underwater before.

As their website explains, Bali Marine Walk using an open-ended helmet that allows the wearer to stay underwater by just putting it over head. The helmet is connected to the scuba thanks by air hose that supplies it with air. The interior of the helmet is designed with a defogging mechanism that prevents the front window from fogging. The helmet is also fitted with a vent which continuously exhausts unneeded air from the helmet. Since the bent is located at the back, there is no air valve to obstruct the guest’s view.

For those of you who wish to explore the fascinating world of the ocean, the walk and experience of the underwater world will be an experience never to forget. Hotel and boat transfers are included in the package price and the company is fully insured. Lembongan Island is only a thirty minute cruise from the mainland and Bali Marine Walk also offers a good range of other activities.

Durian Time in Bali

by Barrie | May 4th, 2011   Tweet

It’s that time of the year again when you can’t take them into a taxi or a bus, or even into a shopping centre and, some hotels even ban them being devoured in their rooms. In fact, Durian is one of those fruits that give off an odour even before it is sliced open. And yes, they are delicious to eat; or so I am told never having the tastebuds to continue eating them. Once was enough for me!

The edible flesh emits a distinctive odour, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and offensive. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as almonds, rotten onions, turpentine and gym socks.

The 19th-century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace famously described its flesh as “a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds”. The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and it is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet edibles in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked.

My wife Candika loves them and so do our good friends in Bali and we often have Durian get-togethers; yours truly preferring to take photos. I did have Durian ice-cream in Java once and loved it but have been unable to obtain it in Bali.

Clouds of Bali – A Photo Journal

by Barrie | May 1st, 2011   Tweet

Everybody knows that Bali is a photographers’ delight with so many colours; in the landscapes, the people and their dress, markets, the culture, and of course, the fabled sunsets. How many times have you bothered to actually look at the sky in detail when it’s not a clear day? You would be surprised at the poetic images created; especially in the early morning and at dusk.

As a kid I used to love looking up at the sky on a cloudy day and try to imagine animals and other features in the sky. Yes, we all did it! Bali has a unique location in this world being in the tropics. Storms are prevalent yet rain may not fall. This atmospheric action combined with the sun’s rays hidden behind the clouds provides some spectacular and colourful images.